In The Darkness Of Everybody's Life
by Nikki Flinn
Summary: AU. One simple choice can change your life forever. When Ginny Weasley offers him the choice to be a part of something bigger, to change the world, Draco Malfoy can't help but jump. DG
1. Chapter 1

Title: In The Darkness of Everybody's Life

Summary: Years and circumstances change a person. When eleven year old Ginny is sent to an Austrailian boarding school that specializes in Quidditch and the fencing, her life takes on a new direction and a collison course with Draco Malfoy.

Chapter One

Harry Potter might never have noticed the red headed girl if she hadn't been wrestling his best friend to the ground.

One second he'd been talking to Ron as they exited the train. The next, his gaze was drawn to the pale flash of his partner as Draco Malfoy exited the train. They nodded politely to each other. Somewhere in his heart Harry knew he would never like Malfoy, but he was the best person in their Auror training class. As second best, the two of them got paired up often.

When he kept his mouth shut, Draco wasn't a bad partner. He did his work quickly and efficiently and never insulted Ron. At least not in front of Harry.

"So what do you think the chances of me being paired with Draco are?" Harry asked.

After a second, he noticed that Ron wasn't answering him.

He turned to find his friend a few paces back. A pretty red haired girl, perhaps a year younger, had him on the ground, his head in a headlock. Harry's hand slipped to his wand before he realized his friend was laughing.

"Yeild?" the girl demanded.

"No!" Ron roared and twisted in her grip. His fingers hit her side and in a second she was on the ground, laughing breathlessly.

"All right! All right! Call it a truce!" she gasped out.

Ron got off her and held out a hand. "Hey, Gin! Great to see you."

In a second Harry recognized the girl. It had been almost three years since he'd last seen the illusive youngest member of the Weasley family.

"You an Auror yet?" she asked as she got to her feet. She towered over her brother. She looked so much older and more mature.

"Almost," he said. "Confirmation ceremony is tomorrow."

"Oh? So it's possible you didn't get in?" she said, winking at Harry.

"Yeah, Ron," Harry broke in. "I mean. These things aren't definite."

"I'd ask you if you remembered my sister, but you clearly do," Ron said wryly.

"Good to see you again, Ginny," Harry said.

"Ditto. How was training?" she asked.

"Good," Ron said. "Had Lavender Brown for my partner."

"Who'd'a figured she'd be Auror material?" Harry said then winced at the blank look on Ginny's face.

"Sorry," Ron said, noticing the look too. "She was this ditz at school. Still, she really stepped it up since being in the Aurors."

"What are her chances of making it in?" Ginny asked. It was a well known fact that the English Aurors only took four or five members a year.

"Fourth in our class as of finals. Provided she didn't leave all the answers blank on the tests, I think she'll make it," Harry said.

"Cool," Ginny began.

"Auror Weasley!"

Ron was looking around and missed the wince on Ginny's face. A young man came sprinting over to them and as he neared, Harry suddenly noticed Ginny's attire. She was wearing black jeans and a pale blue tee shirt. The part of her ensemble that stuck out though, was the silver belt she was wearing. Harry stared at it. He remembered a lesson in his Auror Protocol class. It hadn't seemed important at the time but looking at Ginny's belt, he realized how wrong he'd been.

The young man skidded to a halt before Ginny. The younger woman's posture had changed in an instant, from at ease and comfortable, to commanding. She stood, hands on hips and stared down at the poor unfortunate young man.

"Uh...Special Auror Weasley?" the man stuttered.

"Make it quick, boy. I'm on leave as of eight minutes ago."

THe man blanched. "Uh, right. You just forgot your invitation."

He handed her an envelope and she nodded at him. He saluted her sharply and she returned it.

Ron was staring openly now. "What did I miss?"

Ginny waited until the man was gone to turn to him. "Sorry about that. I guess I forgot these at the office."

"What office? Ginny? Ginny, what was that all about?"

Ginny sighed. "Okay, I've got to swear you two to secrecy about this because if word gets out that I told anyone, I'll lose my Level Forty clearance. Did they ever tell you about the International Auror League?"

Ron nodded slowly. "Yeah. It was in one of our classes. But that's, like, a myth...right?"

She shook her head and fingered her silver belt. "'Fraid not."

"Wait...You just graduated school. How are you in this league? Does Mum know about this?"

She sighed again. "Let's just get home. I'll explain it all there. No point doing it twice."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Draco Malfoy would have noticed the red head even if she'd been invisible.

As it was, he first took notice of her when the train pulled into the station. He'd been thinking about the inaguaration ceremony tomorrow and wondering if his name would come up. He was top in their class but a lot of the existing Aurors had fought in the war. Though he had done his best, there were some who weren't able to put aside their feelings towards his father.

All of which meant he _had_ to be the best to even stand a chance.

He was staring out the window, trying not to dread the following day's events when he noticed the girl with the red hair. She was standing on the edge of the platform, her long hair tied back in a ponytail. She was arguing with a man in silver trimmed black robes and Draco suddenly sat up straighter.

Like Harry, he had been in the Auror Protocol class when they discussed the mythical International Auror League. Unlike Harry, he'd actually been paying attention in that class.

The girl flicked her head and for a second their gazes met as the train ground to a halt.

He rose in his seat to watch her as she broke off from the black robed man and positioned herself before the exit. Her stance was antagonistic, her arms crossed over her chest and a frown on her pretty face.

The trainees began to exit the train and her face shifted to a happy smile.

Before he could think better, Draco raced to the doors and all but stumbled down the stairs.

He cast about for the red haired girl and saw her acost Ron Weasley. The horrid similarity between the two hit Draco just then and he barely managed a polite nod to Harry Potter before he turned and made his way to the main entrance.

His car, a baby blue Ashton Martin was waiting in the parking lot. He pulled out the keys and unlocked the trunk so one of the aides could load his luggage.

"Going my way, stranger?"

He spun around and grinned at Pansy.

"Damn, girl, give us a hug," he said, wrapping his arms around his best friend.

"How was training?" she asked as he helped the porter load his bags.

"Cake walk," he boasted. "Yours?"

She shrugged. "You know me better than that. Potions are in my blood."

"And your lab partner?" he asked, knowing full well who her partner had been. Ron hadn't been able to shut up about the fact that his girlfriend had made it into the training program for the Ministry's Experimental Potions group.

"She's a bloody genius," Pansy said. "If you tell anyone I said that, I will murder you slowly."

He laughed. "Good to know. Then she didn't talk about Weasley that much?"

She shook her head. "We kept all our talk to potions and non-boyfriend stuff. Still, they seem on good terms which is good."

Draco had heard from Harry that Hermione had an awful temper and he could imagine her taking out her relationship frustration out on anyone.

He held the car door open for her and then got in himself. Safe in the car he hesitated, then asked "Hey, have you heard about the International Aurors League?"

"The IAL? That's just an urban legend to keep kids in line," Pansy scoffed.

"What if they weren't?" he mused.

"What?"

"What?"

"Draco, don't tell me you ran afoul of them. _If_ they're real, they can make you disappear without a trace."

"I have no plans of running afoul of them," he told her. "I just wondered."

"Mmhmm," Pansy said and her tone implied she didn't believe him.

Draco had heard stories of the IAL all his life. They were rumored to be an elite guard of Aurors, handpicked from all over the world. They were the kind of people Voldemort feared.

He wondered if they were real and if they were, why they hadn't they put a stop to Voldemort decades ago.

(A/N: Here's chapter two! Glad you guys all liked chapter one!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Ginny!"

"Hermione!"

Hermione launched herself at her best friend. The two of them hugged, laughing heartily.

"How's the training?" Ginny asked.

"Done and done. Pansy's actually not that bad when she's not mooning over her recent flames."

"That bad?"

"She goes through men like most girls go through pantyhose."

Ginny laughed.

"I hate to break this up," Ron said. "But you owe us an explanation."

Ginny sighed. "All right. Quickly, before Mum and Dad come home."

"Wait, I thought you wanted to tell everyone," Harry said.

"Not really. Just you three. It'll be easier if the others don't know. Mum would just worry."

She took a seat at the kitchen table and the others followed suit. "So about two years ago, the headmistress down south offered me the chance to move up a year."

Hermione nodded but Harry and Ron exchanged looks that said they hadn't know this.

Ginny sighed. "Ron, I told you like eight times. That's why I wasn't home last summer or any of the Christmases. Anyway, I technically graduated last year and I've been spending the time since in...in the International Auror's League."

"I thought that was just a myth," Ron gaped.

"We're not," Ginny said, fingering her belt again. "We're a very, very closely guarded secret. Technically I could be dropped from the league just for telling you guys this."

"Damn," Ron muttered. "So why are you telling us?"

"Because it wears you down," she said and Hermione could see the strain in her friend's face. "Keeping secrets. I need someone who knows what I do."

"What does it take to get in?" Ron asked, his face a curious mix of emotions.

"You wouldn't like it, Ron," Ginny said. "You have to drop completely off grid."

Ron looked at Hermione. "Yeah. I don't think I'd like that."

"So what are you doing down here?" Hermione asked. "Shouldn't you be on mission?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm off for today. Wanted to come home while I could. I'm back on mission after the inaguaration ceremony tomorrow."

"Ginny...Oh, Merlin, I have so many questions!" Hermione exclaimed.

Ginny laughed. "I can't promise to answer all of them. I didn't make Level Forty Clearance without knowing how to keep my mouth shut."

"Level Forty?" Harry repeated. "How'd you get that high in only a year?"

"It's out of fifty," Ginny said as if that made it less impressive.

"Still," Ron said.

"I started at level ten because of my efforts in the war," Ginny said. "If you know what you're doing, you can jump up pretty high for each task you take on."

"Speaking of the war," Harry said. "If we have this league of super Aurors, why didn't they take out Voldemort?"

"We had more important things on our plates," Ginny said.

"Like what?" Harry demanded surily.

Ginny fixed him with a stare. Her shoulders went back and authority slipped into her frame. Despite herself, even Hermione quailed slightly.

"We had better things to be doing then dealing with one little upstart," Ginny whispered and got to her feet.

She stalked from the room. Ron and Harry were still taken aback at her sudden vehemence. Hermione knew her friend better and rose to follow Ginny.

She caught up with her in the garden. Ginny was sitting on the bench, tracing patterns in the dirt with her shoe tip.

"Ginny...how long have you really been in the IAL?" Hermione asked.

Ginny gave her a weak smile. "Trust you to catch that."

"How long?"

"Three years. Since that situation in Siberia."

Hermione pressed her lips together, remembering that grueling winter evening, the just the two of them against the hordes of the undead. It was then Hermione had been invited into the Potion's program and Snape had immediately begun training her. It made sense that Ginny would have been invited into a similarly prestigious group because of the same incident.

"Ginny, you've been hiding this since then?"

"Yeah. It...it hasn't been easy. Hermione, do Ron and Harry know about...about that evening?"

"About Siberia? The only ones who know about it are the two of us," Hermione assured her.

"Good," Ginny said. Hermione felt the same way. That night had changed the both of them and though Ron saw the changes some times when Hermione wasn't being careful, she couldn't bring herself to tell him what she was capable of. What she had done that night.

"I don't want to offend you, but what exactly has the IAL been doing for the past twenty years?"

Ginny smiled. "You mean why didn't we take Voldemort down decades ago?"

"Yeah."

Ginny sighed. "That is a very long story. You're staying in my room tonight, right?"

"Was planning on it. Your mum is accepting of me and Ron, but I don't think that goes so far as to let us sleep together."

Ginny laughed and after a second, Hermione joined her.

(A/N: Bum bum BUM! C'mon, you didn't really think I'd tell you everything right up front, did you?

To Purple389- Thanks! Glad you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Draco had to remind himself that Malfoys did not fidget. Of course, it the dumb bint on stage would just do her job and make the announcment already, he wouldn't have to worry about fidgeting.

Beside him, Pansy put her hand on his arm. She was there as moral support and nothing more, a fact he was supremely glad for every time she sent the bedroom eyes Potter's way.

"Just because I don't try to kill the git every four seconds, does not mean that you should go shag him," he hissed to her.

She laughed as if he'd said the funniest thing in the world. Harry glanced over from his table and his eyes caught on Pansy.

"Is he looking?" Pansy said through her brilliant smile.

"If you like the goyt that much, just...have at it," Draco said. "I will not be your patsy on this one, Pans."

She kept her gaze forward. "Don't be stupid. You were born to be my patsy, lover."

"If they weren't about to announce the new Aurors, I'd just leave you here," Draco said.

"Lucky me," she purred, leaning into him in a false show of affection.

On stage, Nara Welsh, the current Minister of Magic was starting to wind up to the announcement everyone was there for.

"And now, I would like to welcome five very special men and women into the illustrious association of the English Aurors."

At the word five, Draco's heart rocketed into overdrive. There was no chance he wasn't in.

"First, Mr. Harry Potter."

Smart girl, Draco thought as applause nearly deafened him. Everyone knew Potter was a shoo in which just meant prolonging it was stupid.

When the applause died down, Nara spent a few minutes extolling Harry's virtues. Finally she prepared to announce the second name.

"Mr. Ronald Weasley."

Again, the applause was outrageous. Draco sat calmly as Nara praised Ron then announced the next two candidates. He wasn't surprised to hear Lavender top the list. She'd really buckled down since starting and she was a really good dueler.

Terry Boot was another no brainer and Draco braced himself for the final name. For his name.

It wasn't him.

"Ms. Kayleigh Winters!" Nara announced.

Draco sat, still as death. He could feel Harry's eyes on him and Pansy's hands were on his arm, squeezing, begging him not to make a scene. She needn't have bothered.

Disappointment surged in him but he forced his hands to clap for Kayleigh. The evening bled into a dance portion and he made himself get up and dance with Pansy for a few dances. The music was loud enough to discourage talking and Pansy seemed to take his hint.

Potter did not.

After the second dance, his former partner came over, his face drawn. "Malfoy, mate, look, I'm sorry-"

"You'd like to steal Pansy for a dance?" Draco said too loudly. "How nice. I'll step aside, of course."

Pansy nodded at him and latched her arms around Harry's neck (with a touch too much vehemence, but Draco wasn't going to complain).

With Potter distracted, Draco made his way out onto the far balcony.

He was caught up in his personal turmoil but he still noticed the red head as she walked onto the balcony to join him. She was wearing white and he reflected that white was her color. Her dark hair was done up in a pretty twist with white pins all through it.

"Come to offer me false sympathies, Miss Weasley?" he said.

She leaned on the railing next to him, swirling her wine in her glass. "Hardly."

"I didn't think you were old enough to drink," he said.

"I'm sure my brother makes me sound like an irresponsible three year old," she said with a smile.

"Something like that," he replied.

"In any case, I'm not here to offer you sympathy, false or otherwise."

"We covered that," he said. "So what are you here for? To make sure I don't pitch myself off the balcony?"

"We both know you won't," she said. "I'm here to offer you a job."

He looked at her. She reached back into her hair and pulled out a silver pin from the mess of white ones. She pulled out a business card and slid the pin over the card.

"If you want it," she said.

He took the card hesitantly.

"So you know, if you show that card to anyone else or say anything about it to anyone, I'll know."

She turned and left him staring after her.

He focused his attention on the card and read the few words there.

Ginevra Weasley

Special Auror (First Class)

Below those were a phone number and an address in Knockturn Alley. He flipped the card over but there was nothing there. On the pin however, just barely noticible, were the letters IAL.

(A/N: Ahahaha! Draco is so hooked.

To Moonshadow11- Thanks! Glad you like it!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Ginny saluted the guard as she swept by. She was still in the white dress and she itched to get out of it, but she knew protocol. More importantly, she had a feel for how Draco Malfoy worked. He wouldn't wait.

She made it to her office in a matter of seconds, saluting all the little peons as she did. She respected everyone she worked with and they respected her right back.

She stepped inside her office and closed the door. It would only be a matter of time, she thought, crossing to her locker and pulling out one of the nearly endless supply of spare uniforms.

As she changed out of the expensive white dress (courtesy of the IAL), she reflected how something so minor as going to school abroad could change her life so drastically.

In England and Europe, the IAL was a children's cautionary tale, not something anyone believed in. In Austrailia, they were known and feared.

It was a complete accident that Ginny ended up in Austrailia, at one of the most prestigious wizarding schools. She'd taken one of those IQ tests that came in the magazines Fred and George got. The rest of the magazine was a joke but she couldn't resist a good challenge and so she filled it out and sent it in. Two weeks later she got a letter to say she'd gotten into Westhaven.

Her parents had been thrilled, even if their baby girl would be half a world away. Westhaven was incredibly exclusive and graduates got the best of everything.

So despite the fact that she'd only see them during the summer, Ginny said yes.

In Westhaven she'd found herself: a funloving, Quidditch seeker who excelled in fencing and dueling.

Then that incident with the living dead.

She touched the scar on her abdomen and shuddered but thrust that aside. Even that horrible night had taken her where she needed to go. And here she was, one of the highest officials on the IAL. One of the highest paid too, but she was hardly in it for the money.

She shimmied out of her dress and pulled on the black jeans. She was a Liuetenent in the IAL which meant she was still active but she didn't need to wear the standard uniform. Instead she tended towards something more innoculous.

She had her dark blue tank top out and almost on when the door to her office burst open, admitting a very annoyed looking Draco Malfoy.

He went whiter than a sheet and hastily spun away. She chuckled, but was secretly glad her back had been to him. She wasn't ready for anyone to see that scar yet.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, pulling the shirt into place and threading the standard issue silver belt around her hips.

"They told me I could go in," he said quickly.

"I imagine they did. You can turn around now. I'm decent," she said, sitting down to change her shoes.

He turned and stare down at her. She waved to the empty chair across from her. "Have a seat. I imagine you have a lot of questions."

"What's this about?" he asked, slapping her card onto the desk. She glanced at it.

"A recruitment."

"The IAL is recruiting me?" he asked.

"Do have a seat."

There was nothing unpleasant in her tone but he seemed to suddenly comprehend who she was and just how easily she could kill him if she wanted to.

He took a seat.

"Now, one question at a time. Yes, the IAL is very interested in recruiting you. We've had our eye on you since you started Auror school."

"What would I be doing here?" he asked.

"You already passed the preliminary tests. I mean, you did pass your Auror training with full colors. You would have to go for an additional three weeks of hard training and you would be started as a lower level, perhaps Level Ten Clearance but you would be able to work your way up quickly. As for what you'd be doing, well, just about anything your little Auror heart desires, so long as it falls under the title of making the world a better place."

Her final statement seemed to take a bit of the wind out of his sails and curiosity set in.

"What does that mean?"

"You aren't limited by standard Auror rules. Around here, things are very much 'dead or alive' and frankly, if the perpetrator is being beligerent, I see no need for you to exercise caution. Dead works just as well as alive and saves us the time of a trial."

"Don't people notice that?" he said.

"Hardly. We specialize in making people disappear."

She could tell he believed her.

"So what if I decided to say no?"

She shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "You go home tonight. When you wake up in the morning, you're a full English Auror. You remember nothing of this conversation and no one from tonight remembers anything but you making Auror. In fact, if you're very nice about it, we'll even throw in a memory of getting it on with some pretty little co-ed."

He laughed at that then sobered. "Wait, so you guys...I was supposed to make Auror?"

"Indeed. But your field tests were a little too outstanding for something so mundane. Minister Welsh was contacted and told that it would be in her best interest to not make you Auror just yet."

"How are you going to alter the memories of everyone there? There were over two hundred people at that ceremony."

"Two hundred and sixty four, to be precise. And rest assured, we have ways."

He ran his hand through his hair. "What would I tell my friends?"

"Anything. Anything but the truth," she said.

He looked at her then held out his hand. "Let's do it."

"Are you certain? Once you go in, Mr. Malfoy, there's no coming back."

He stared at her but didn't draw back his hand.

"Very well. Welcome to the International Auror League, Mr. Malfoy," she said, and shook his hand.

He turned and she couldn't resist one last comment. "By the way, Mr. Malfoy."

He looked back at her.

"From now on, you have to salute me."

(A/N: Well, there's my foundation. I promise you'll learn more about the living dead thing in later chapters. Also, if there are any questions, be sure to let me know so I can make sure I answer them. :) hope you all like it.

To Moonshaddow11- Ah, length. My eternal enemy in the war of fanfiction. I suck at writing long chapters but I'll try!

To BayGirl123- Glad you like! Sorry for the delay on it.

To Roni2010- :3 I always like hearing from you. Glad you liked the chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Draco collapsed gratefully into his bunk. Grateful as he was for the sleep that would soon come, he was more grateful for what the next day would bring.

For him, Auror training had been a cake walk. He was pretty fit and something of a jack of all trades. He knew the basics of everything. Aurors were required to learn potion making and basic feild medicine.

The IAL had higher standards. Their sergeant had made his expectations clear from day one.

"You seven are seven of the luckiest people in the world," he barked. "You maggots get to listen and memorize every word out of my mouth. Take it all in. Because I'm only saying anything once."

Sergeant West, who they all just called Sarge, was a towering, bulky man. Though he outweighed Draco by a good fifty pounds, Draco doubted there was an ouce of fat on the man. Sarge had made good on his word. The first three days were the most active of Draco's life. He ran further, faster and harder than he ever had.

Unfortunately, being the best wasn't what boot camp was about. If Draco got back from a run and wasn't followed within two minutes by the rest of the team, _he_ was punished. Draco understood the logic of it. After the first two hours, the others had fallen behind him and he was responsible for it.

It took a few days to get used to leading. Mostly because the others actually listened to him. In field exercises, they followed his instructions blindly. When their first 'mission' was successful, Draco had felt something he hadn't in a long time: happy and respected.

After that he'd thrown himself into the role of leader, determined that his group would be the best.

It had taken him three days, from the moment he showed up, to the end of the mission to realize that he wanted to be a role model.

The bed shifted as a familiar figure slid into it with him. He held the covers open for Evangeline LeBouf.

Evangeline, or Eve as they all called her, was the weakest link in their group. She was slight and long legged but there was a fracture in her that made excelling hard for her. Draco, who knew her whole story now, understood.

The first week had been spent running back to find Eve where she had lost the group on the runs or picking up her slack. At first he had resented it, helping a girl who could barely help herself. That had only lasted until the fourth day.

Higher ups in the IAL dropped by occasionally to watch the new recruits and decide if they were going to mentor any of them. All new recruits had a mentoring period after completion of boot camp and so the higher ups decided as quickly as possible if they were interested in any of the new kids.

On his fourth day, Ginny Weasley came by.

He was sitting in the mess hall, almost too tired to eat anything. He was trying to will the food into his system when Ginny sat down opposite him.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "If I have to salute you, I'm going to need some help getting my arm up that high."

She laughed. "Regretting your decision yet?"

"No, just resenting my position."

"Don't like being helpless?"

"I wasn't referring to that. I'm team captain," he said with a touch of pride.

"So I'd heard. Tell me, if I were interested in mentoring someone, who would you suggest?"

He glanced over at his group. They were laughing at something or other and he momentarily wished they'd invited him over.

"Anyone but Eve," he finally said.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Girl can't pull her own. Well, she can but she's just slower about it," he said. "To top that off, she keeps trying to get in bed with me."

"Don't touch her like that, Malfoy," Ginny said, anger heavy in her tone.

He looked at her but she was looking at Eve. "That girl's been through hell, Malfoy. If you don't want her around, be nice about it."

"I thought this place wasn't about being nice," he said.

"This place is about making sure you can survive on the field. Having your platoon hate your guts is not the best way to survive."

"Why's Eve such a special case?" he asked.

"She's only twelve."

He snapped his head around to stare at Eve. She sure as hell didn't look twelve. "Bull shit," he said.

"Ever heard of the Sleeping Beauty spell? She had one cast on her when she was twelve. She was under for four years."

"Weasley, I know how that spell works. She would have stayed twelve then aged from there when she woke up."

"Someone didn't want her waking up. They miscast the spell on purpose and she ended up in a sleep, aging as she slumbered. She woke up five months ago."

Draco stared at Eve some more. Suddenly things made more sense. Though blessed with the body of a sixteen year old, her mind was back at twelve. She had always seemed awkward in her own skin and now he knew why.

"The war really destroys people, doesn't it?" he said sadly.

"The war didn't do this," Ginny said with such heat that he looked back at her. Her face was stormy and he had a sudden flash of intuition. Ginny had been the one to find Eve. "People did."

The way she said it, Draco had a good guess who had put the spell on Eve and the thought caused him to lose what little appetite he had.

"What happened to her when she woke up?" Draco asked. "I mean, the IAL wouldn't recruit her just for that."

Ginny shook her head. "You're right. She took down a Daedalus Labyrinth."

Draco paled at that. He had never seen a Daedalus Labyrinth before but everyone knew about them. They were an incredibly complex hallucination spell that affected anyone around. The afflicted believed they were in a maze, with real dangers and real monsters. The hallucinations couldn't really hurt anyone but most believed in them so vividly that when the hallucinated monster killed them, they had heart attacks and died instantly.

"How?" he asked.

She shook her head again. "Find out yourself."

After that, he'd taken a special interest in Eve. Looking back on it, he knew Ginny had been manipulating him into being the kind of leader that the others would look up to but he found it hard to mind.

Eve excelled after a few days and the others began to accept him not only as their leader, but as a friend of sorts. He got invited to sit with them at lunch and they complained about the instructors together.

Back in the here and now, Draco just let Eve snuggle into him. He knew she still had nightmares about her time in the maze and being close to someone was the best remedy. So he let her stay and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

(A/N: I like Eve. She's going to appear in later chapters, I assure you


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The closing ceremonies for boot camp were much different than he anticipated. Given their past few weeks, Draco and the others were expecting a harsh final test.

They dressed one last time in their cadet uniforms. He looked over his group and had to smile. They each excelled in their own ways and he wouldn't have hesitated to take them to hell with him because he trusted them to take him back.

He studied each of them, wondering when he'd see them again. Ginny had implied that he stood a good chance to run into them in the future on missions or whatnot.

Eve stood tall, confident for once. He knew all their stories by heart. Eve was French and had been discovered by Ginny Weasley. Ginny, it turned out, was something of a legend in the IAL. Though no one was free to disclose what she did or had done, everyone in the group had their own stories about when she discovered them.

Beside Eve stood Kim Yu, a short little Chinese man, perhaps three years older than Draco. He specialized in defensive spells and he'd been defending his town against a tsunami when Ginny showed up.

Then there was Lyra Frost, who had perfected the art of cyber wizardry. She and Ginny had run into each other on a planet somewhere (no one would give it more detail than that) and she'd been recruited.

Joy Roster had been discovered while curbing an epidemic. Andrew Rhodes had destroyed a dark uprising in Ireland. Christian Williams was found after a minor war with the Rakshasas in India. David Wright had purged the entire of South America of the barrow-wrights that had long plagued it.

Next to them, Draco felt almost un deserving of being their leader. They were all so much more accomplished, even Eve. Still, they all had their skills and his was taking control.

He nodded to them and they made their way to the main mess hall where the final ceremony would be held.

He threw back the flap arrogantly and stared at the scene before him.

Sarge and the rest of the instructors were waiting inside, bright banners everywhere.

"Congratulations, maggots," Sarge bellowed. "Now get in here and have some cake, you Aurors."

Draco stepped aside and let the rest of his group in. They all burst into relieved laughter and conversation filled the air.

The party lasted several hours. After the first twenty minutes, some of the higher ups began Apparating in. The cadets separated as the officers pulled them away to talk about mentoring.

"So you made it."

Draco spun to face Ginny Weasley. She was wearing her standard uniform of black jeans, dark tank top and silver belt. Her hair was back in its usual ponytail and there was a fresh scar running from her neck to disappear down her shirt.

"What happened?" he asked, staring at the scar.

She looked down. "Oh, didn't get out of the way fast enough. It'll be gone tomorrow."

"You don't brag about your battle scars?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Scars make it easier to remember you. We're in the business of not being remembered."

It made sense to him and he didn't like the look of that scar anyway.

"I have a bone to pick with you," he said.

She smiled. "I figured you'd get to this sooner or later."

"Get to what?"

"To why I picked you."

"Well, since you brought it up...I can't help but notice that everyone else has done something fantastic in their time on this planet. Why me?"

"I could lie and tell you that I picked you because of your efforts in the war, but I think lies are a bad way to start a mentorship. I picked you not because of what you _have done_, but because of what you _can do_."

He stared at her for a few seconds, trying to figure her logic out. Then something she said hit him.

"Wait, start a mentorship? What does that mean?"

She laughed. "You're kinda stupid some times, Malfoy. For the next couple weeks at least I'm your mentor. Report to my office at 0700 tomorrow. You know the way," she said then Disapparated, leaving him confused and suffused with a mix of emotions.

(A/N: One of my shorter chapters for this fic but I had fun with it.

Works Cited -

I got the idea of a Cyber wizard from Diane Duane's novel High Wizardry. In the book, one of the main characters is a cyber wizard.

Rakshasas are the invention of F. Paul Wilson and appear in his wonderful novel The Tomb. Please go read it!

To What12- Ah! Sorry for the delay. I promise I'm usually better at this.

To 1ce-in-Forever12- Again, sorry for the delay. I promise to be quicker this time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The party lasted until one in the afternoon. With the rest of his day to himself, Draco decided to check in on his friends.

He changed into jeans and a black teeshirt and went to the Apparation station. A few of the others were there, heading to their own destinations. Since they didn't have high enough clearance, they had to use the stations. The situation would be different in a few months, after some successful missions.

Draco Apparated to the Ministry and stared at the place he almost ended up working.

"Son of a bitch! Draco Malfoy!"

He turned and nearly fell over when Pansy threw herself at him. He laughed and caught her.

"Where the hell have you been?" she said.

"Business," he said.

"What are you doing lately?" she asked as he set her down.

"Freelance," he lied. "It's gonna take me out of town a lot. Just to warn you. But what are you up to?" He looked past her to see Hermione Granger standing and watching them with a smile.

"Working on a cure for lycanthropy," Pansy said, motioning Hermione closer. "We were just going to lunch with the boys. Come join us."

"Boys? Which one are you dating now, Pans?"

"You'll see," Hermione said with a smile.

They were having lunch at Pellegrino's, a nicer Italian restaurant. Nice, but inexpensive. Given all he knew, Draco should have expected who was sitting at the table when they got there.

"Look what the cat drug in," Pansy said, walking over and planting a wet one on Harry Potter.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked after returning the kiss.

"Well, I know where I've been, but where the hell am I?" Draco asked. "When did this happen?"

Pansy laughed and took a seat. "Well you did leave me in his capable arms that night..." she trailed off as she remembered what had happened at that ceremony.

Draco was thinking about the graduation party and what was going to happen tomorrow and couldn't be very upset.

"Well, I'm glad...If anyone deserves this girl, you do, Potter," he said, shaking Harry's hand.

"Thanks, I think."

Ron Weasley rose as well and shook his hand too. "Good to see you. Where have you been the past three weeks?"

"Training," Draco said. "I got a freelance job overseas."

"You look fantastic," Hermione said and Draco had to laugh as storm clouds settled on Ron's face.

"Don't worry, mate, I'm not planning on stealing your lady," he said, taking a seat.

"So what's this job?" Harry asked after they ordered drinks.

"I'll tell you later. Tell me what's going on with you two. You partners?" he asked.

"I got reassigned to Harry," Ron said. "Lav is with Terry now. Kayleigh ended up with Tonks. Everything's pretty simple on our end."

"We've been stuck doing paperwork," Harry confessed. "Low men on the totem and all."

Draco nodded. He knew it would be like that for him the first few weeks too but he was prepared for that.

"And you ladies?" he asked after their drinks arrived and they ordered their lunches.

"Told you, the cure for lycanthropy," Hermione said.

"Now, Granger. I know you better than that. A petty little thing like that would only take you and darling Pansy a few days."

"It would, if wolves were the only thing we were talking about," Pansy said with a sour face. "But there are half a dozen types of weres and that's just the UK we're talking."

Draco laughed softly. "Are you making separate cures or a cure-all?"

"Both," Hermione said. "We're developing specific cures for the weres we know of. The cure-all is sort of a misnomer. It just keeps the animal at bay until the specific cure can be either administered or engineered."

"Like Wolfsbane?"

"Not at all. This keeps the animal inside entirely. No lapses," Pansy said with a touch of pride.

Draco thought about asking whose idea that was but decided not to.

"So when can we expect to see you again?" Pansy asked when several hours of pleasant conversation had passed.

Draco shrugged. "Not a clue. I'll Owl you when I can. I'll be pretty busy though, just to warn you."

Hermione looked at him suddenly, her eyes narrowing. He remembered how observant she'd been in school and had the feeling that she knew.

(A/N: Yes you have to wait for the backstory. I'm so mean, Aren't I?

To 1ce-in-forever12- Glad you liked it! I'm certainly having fun playing with the characters.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Anything Draco might have dreamed up, paled in comparison to his first day at the IAL.

Draco reported to head quarters at six thirty in the morning. The IAL had put him and the others up in nice apartments. They got keys and portkeys to their apartments so they could have a place to call home at the end of the day.

His place wasn't as lavish as he was used to, but it was fully furnished and after three weeks on a rock hard cot, the king sized bed was a welcome addition.

He dressed in the standard uniform and spent a second admiring the silver pin that said his clearance level. As squad leader, he was at level fifteen. The rest of his group had varied from level eleven to level thirteen.

He Apparated to the station outside head quarters and went inside. For a second he had a horrible moment when he thought that Ginny had just been kidding with him. Then one of the level twenties offered to show him up to Ginny's office. Though he had already been there, Draco remembered Sarge's lecture about etiquette and let the older man lead him up stairs.

According to Sarge, there were two types of IAL members: those who rose up in the ranks until they were practically running things, and those who got to a level where they enjoyed doing what they did and settled there. Both types seemed equally appealing to Draco.

"Weasley's your mentor?" the other asked. Draco leaned over to read his name tag. Callahan.

"Yes," Draco confessed. "Got any tips."

"Wouldn't know where to begin. She's never mentored before so you'll have to keep us up to date on what she does with you."

"I'll do that."

Callahan glanced at him and smiled. "If you ever want to talk, there's a group of us that meet at the Pub every Friday night. You're welcome until you piss us off."

Draco laughed at that as the elevator stopped on the proper floor.

"I'll keep that in mind. So if Ginny were a normal mentor, what could I expect?"

"Paper work. Weasley might be the best and the brightest of us, but even the highest stars have to do paper work around here."

"Thanks for the tip," Draco said as they reached the office in question.

"Good luck. See you later."

"You too."

"Made ourselves a friend?"

Draco and Callahan spun, saluting Ginny sharply. She returned the salute absently. "Malfoy, in here. Now."

Draco stepped into her office. She handed him a stack of papers. "I hate to do this to you, but I have to take statements. You can charm your quill, but you _have_ to be there for the entire statement."

She took a stack of papers from her own desk and headed out, muttering about bureaucracy and idiots who couldn't take care of their own members.

Draco stood in her office, clutching the papers. He looked down at the first one. It was a standard de-briefing form, a list of questions, with space for the answers. He flipped through, sighing when he saw that they were all like that.

Each page had a name on the top and he stepped out in search of the first name.

"Want a hand?"

He glanced at Callahan. "Yeah. Julia Westhaven?"

"Third floor. In one of the cubicles."

"Thanks," Draco said, heading towards the elevators.

Julia was a pretty American witch with a nasty scar running down her face. It had the glimmer to it that said it was bewitched to disappear in the next several days.

"Julia Westhaven? My name's Draco Malfoy. I'm supposed to walk you through your de-breifing."

She smiled at him. "Don't look so scared. I don't bite. Have a seat."

He did, pulling out a pen. "I hate to be informal, but..."

"I remember how paper work works," Julia said dryly. Draco glanced at her and made a decision. He flipped the page over and set his pen against it.

"Why don't you start at the beginning? Tell me what happened."

Julia looked at him. "You're gonna make it far," she finally said.

"Why's that?"

"You have a heart. Anyway, it began about a week ago..."

The next six hours were spent with half a dozen witches and wizards. He meticulously wrote down their stories, using shorthand where he could. Lunch came and his papers were covered in his neat writing but the fronts were blank. He made new copies of each of the papers before spending most of his lunch filling them out based on the statements.

"Two pages."

He looked up as Ginny sat down with him. She stole his papers and shoved a plate with a burger and fries across the table to him.

"What was that?" he asked as he attacked the fries.

"You do two pages. You get them to tell their story. Charm your pen or quill to take the full dictation then keep track of what they're saying and use it to fill out the form."

"You don't sound surprised that I'm getting the story," he said as she started writing at a breakneck pace on his forms.

"I'm not. I wouldn't be mentoring you if weren't worth it."

"I take it you were doing the same thing."

"You got that right. Finish your lunch. You can take care of the rest of these after lunch."

After lunch, Draco took Ginny's suggestion after lunch and the rest of his six took less time.

He'd just finished his final record when Ginny came tearing down the hall like hell was on her heels.

"Wand!" she snapped, grabbing his arm.

He stumbled, pulled out his wand and matched her stride.

"Watch yourself," she said.

One second they were running down the hall of the head quarters. The next they were in the middle of a battle field.

Ginny released him and dropped into a defensive position. Draco didn't think. He bellowed commands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ginny kneeling beside a wounded wizard. He continued to scream spells as she tended to the wizard.

"Status report!" she snarled.

"Seven lost. The others are protecting the herd. We need a virgin in there," the man gasped.

"Cover me," Ginny said to Draco. He nodded and roundhouse kicked an approaching creature.

He took a second to absorb what he was seeing. A dozen witches were protecting a herd of white horses. After a second he realized that they weren't horses, but unicorns. Half a dozen witches lay dead on the ground. The creatures attacking were golems, fire dancing in their eyes as their fleshy limbs wilted.

"I thought only virgins could go near unicorns," Draco said to the wizard by his side.

"European unicorns maybe," the guy scoffed and Draco wondered where the hell they were. "Down here, anyone pure of intention can go near a unicorn but only a virgin can command them."

Draco glanced at Ginny who was atop the tallest unicorn now. The horse reared beneath her and she roared commands.

"What's she doing?" Draco asked.

"Calling the Bruja."

_So we're in Mexico,_ Draco thought, looking at the barren land. Around him the creatures continued to attack. He pulled his mind from what was going on with Ginny and focused on the battle.

He was doing pretty well when the Bruja showed up.

Draco knew little about that sort of thing but even he could tell who this dark haired woman was.

She stalked onto the field, scowling at the creatures. She snapped her fingers and Draco flinched from the awesome power behind her.

The creatures howled then dissolved back into the ground.

Ginny dismounted and ran over. She placed one hand over her breast and bowed deeply to the dark haired woman. Draco repeated the gesture, remaining in the bow as Ginny rose.

"Bruja, thank you for your intervention."

The Bruja waved a hand. "Think nothing of it, Brave one. Your name carries echoes even here. Thank you for taking care of my steeds."

"You're welcome. Shall we call it even?"

"Hardly, Brave one and you know it. A thousand generations of my kind could never pay back the debts we owe you."

(A/N: Whoa, that was a long chapter. Okay, so Bruja is going to come back, I promise. Anyway, Bruja is Spanish for witch. In Spanish mythology, they can turn into animals. I'm gonna bring her back in later chapters. You'll also figure out why she owes Ginny such a huge debt.

To 1ce-in-4ever12- It is filler and it isn't. I wanted to establish a relationship between Draco and the others. They're going to come back. Of course! :3


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Draco collapsed into his seat opposite Ginny at her desk. "Well, that was fun."

She gave him a weary smile. "Sorry about all this, Draco. I didn't intend to put you in a situation quite like that just yet."

"It was fun," he said. "Tiring, but fun. Can I ask you some questions?"

"You're level fifteen clearance now. Go ahead."

"When did I make level fifteen?" he asked.

"You made thirteen when you became my mentee. You got another two for that stunt we just pulled."

"So what level are you?" he asked.

"Level forty seven."

"Isn't that out of fifty? You can't go much higher, can you?"

"I'd have to single-handedly save the world to make level fifty."

"Explain to me how you get higher clearance."

"Each mission you go into has a ranking from zero to five, depending on the difficulty. Simple type problems are just at zero. As you get better and better, a five can become a two or lower."

"So the ranking is based on your ranking?"

"Exactly."

"So, what's a five for you?" he joked.

"I told you. Saving the world singlhandedly."

"So being your partner is three points worth?"

She laughed. "Now you know why I haven't mentored yet. Next?"

"That situation was only worth two points?"

"When you're a partner, you split the experience. I got two points and you got two."

"So that was worth four for you?"

"Yeah. Next?"

"What did you do for the Bruja that she's in such debt to you?"

She sighed. "It's not a pretty story."

"Do I have the clearance for it?"

"Barely."

"Then let's do it," he said.

She smiled. "Have you ever heard of the Ellerwomen?"

"Fairies with hollow backs who dance with men until they die. But aren't they Scandinavian?"

"In origin, yes, but as with everything, they've been around so long that they were carried to the New World. About a year ago, I went in and took care of the Ellerwomen in Mexico."

"That sounds like the kind of thing the Bruja could take care of by herself."

"Generally, yes, but the Ellerwomen had a strong hold on the men down there and there was an uprising. The men were preparing to burn the Bruja and the other witches of Mexico when I got down there. I saved most of them and banished the Ellerwomen back to Scandinavia."

He whistled. "Not bad, Ginny. So that's why she'd in debt to you?"

"The witch set to burn before her was her own sister. I saved her from watching her sister burn to death."

"That'd do it," he whispered.

"Any more questions?"

"Hundreds. Where was the IAL during..."

"During the past two wars?" she shook her head. "Your clearance isn't that great yet."

"Just gives me something to look forward to," he said. But the awesome image of Ginny on the unicorn, shouting orders like a virgin queen of yore was enough to keep him beside her even without the promise of the secrets.

(A/N: This chapter was insanely fun. Enjoyed every minute of it.

To Nedermg- Glad you like it!

To Ami- As your benevolent overlady, I kindly chose to update. You're welcome. :3


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The week all but flew by in a procession of paperwork and quickfire assignments. After the first few days, Draco got used to expecting a sudden fight or assignment. Ginny was well known enough that she no longer picked her assignments; they picked her.

He finished his last form and closed his desk drawer.

"Hey, you coming out?"

He looked up to see Julia Westhaven and Ewan Callahan grinning down at him.

"The Pub right?" he asked.

"C'mon," Julia said. "Free beer for anyone over level twenty."

"What's your level now?" Ewan asked as they waited for Draco to lock his desk and grab his coat.

"Twenty," Draco said.

"Sweet," Julia said. "Give it another week or two and you'll get to learn about the war."

That was exciting. "How high do you have to be to get that?" he asked.

"Thirty," Evangeline LaBouf said, coming over.

He grinned at her and looped an arm around her neck. "Who'd you get saddled with?" he asked. "I haven't seen you in days."

She blushed but gave him a quick hug. "Clark Finn."

Draco had met Finn a few days back and he seemed a decent Auror. Very, very tough but Eve didn't seem to be suffering. "Let me know if he gives you shit, Evie."

She blushed darker but nodded. Draco turned to the others. "Eve, this is Ewan Callahan and Julia Westhaven. Guys, this is Evangeline LaBouf."

"Call me Eve," she said, sounding much more sure of herself than the first time they met. Apparently being part of the IAL was doing her good.

Ewan couldn't stop staring at Eve. Julia managed to find her manners and jerked her head at the doors. "We were going out for some drinks. IALs get free drinks."

"How does the bar keep in business?" Draco joked.

Julia laughed. "C'mon. Let's go blow off some steam."

The bar was simply called The Pub and the place fairly glowed with the amount of silver badges, silver buttons and silver belts around the room. The bright lights caught on Draco's own silver belt buckle and the silver clips in Julias hair.

"Good to see you again," Sarge bellowed when he and Eve came in.

Eve submitted herself to his bone crunching hug. Draco managed to avoid it. "So what does it take to get a drink around here?" Draco asked.

Julialaughed. "The bar's always open for IAL silver. We only come here once a week, just to relax and catch up with people you don't see often. Most of us run around all day fixing problems. This place is a good chance to just hang."

"Too bad the bartender can only make beer," Ewan said, seemingly recovered from his fascination with Eve.

The bartender, a pretty girl with elegant black hair, flicked him off.

"Beer is all you sods seem to want," she said when they got closer.

"Draco, Eve, meet Jasmine Hollow, former IAL member."

"Former?" Draco said, studying her. She couldn't have been more than twenty.

"Retired two months," Jasmine said. "Injured in the line of duty but these sods don't seem to care."

"You got to keep your disability," Julia said.

Draco could feel the tension in the air and wondered about the past the three shared. But it wasn't his place, he decided. They'd tell if they wanted him to know.

Instead he turned to Jasmine. "Do you need a hand?"

She eyed him appreciatively.

* * *

><p>Ginny almost never went to the bar but tonight she needed some relaxing. Their latest mission had gotten to her. Not that she'd tell Draco or any of the others. If Hermione had been there, she probably would have guessed but that was just how close they were. Though they never spent time together, Hermione was her best friend and they would always be best friends.<p>

She stepped into the Pub and Ewan Callahan immediately hailed her. He was always tried to get her out and she usually restrained from it. Drinking was a dangerous thing for her. She had a low tolerance and she said things she shouldn't when she drank. More importantly, drinking made her remember. And she didn't wnat to remember.

Not Siberia, not the years of the war, not any of it.

Still, one cold one wouldn't hurt.

She returned Ewan's greeting and made her way across the room to him and some of the others. She noted that Evangeline and Julia were both there. Julia had clearly had a drink or two already and was making eyes at Clark Finn, who was on the other side of the bar.

Ginny joined them. "Eve, Ewan, Jules. How are you guys?"

"Doin' better since we have a decent bartender for once," Julia said, glancing towards the bar.

Ginny followed her gaze, surprised to see Draco standing on the other side and flipping bottles effortlessly. He threw three up into the air, catching each as it came down and pouring the liquor into a tall glass. He caught Ginny's eye and grinned.

"Hey, boss lady," he said and handed her the dark pink drink.

"What is this?"

"That is called Sex on the Beach. Drink up, boss lady."

She took an experimental sip. "Nice. You should make me drinks more often."

"I'll take that as an invitation," he said.

She laughed. "Keep it in your pants, newb."

He grinned at her and went back to helping Jasmine. Ginny was actually pretty glad that he was bartending. Jasmine hated her and most of the others. Why she kept working was beyond anyone. She could have retired off the retirement fund.

She took another swallow and let her mind and body relax into the music.

(A/N: Sex on the Beach: 1 oz vodka, 1 oz peach schnapps, 3 oz cranberry juice, 3 oz orange or pineapple juice. Add several ice cubes to a glass, pour in all ingredients and stir briskly. Enjoy.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Retreat!" Jules screamed. Draco let her duck behind, covering her back as she grabbed the hands of the two children.

"WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!?" the witch before him bellowed.

Draco stepped forward and cast a quick illusion spell on the area. "Miss Willowcraft, you have to know that edible houses have been outlawed in Roumania."

The striking blonde witch narrowed her eyes. "Bull shit."

He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her the copy of the Roumanian Witch Law, which he'd earmarked to the passage about edible dwellings.

She read it and made a face. "That is stupid," she said.

"Here's an illusion stone. It'll show the house decaying and falling down over the next few weeks. That should give you time to get rid of the real house. I'm sure you can see why we like to avoid houses like this," he said.

She snatched the stone and stalked off, muttering about Roumanian idiot bureaucrats.

He sighed and returned to Jules. "That went better than I hoped," Jules said.

Draco nodded. Over the past two weeks he'd worked with just about every person in the company except Ginny. Every time she started to prepare for a mission, he found himself foisted off onto one of the other members. He'd been kept busy but not so busy that he didn't wonder what gave. His clearance was at level forty and he wanted to ask Ginny some serious questions. Only the damned woman was proving hard to find.

"You okay?" Jules asked once they'd brought the kids back to their homes safely.

"Huh?" he said, looking over at her. She smiled.

"You haven't said three words all week unless they were absolutely necessary."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just...I don't know."

"You miss working with Ginny," she said succinctly.

He smiled. "I thought we made a good team."

"You do," Jules said. "But Ginny has some really hard missions. Overthrowing tyrants, working amid Muggles. Some delicate and the others just shy of impossible. I'm sure she just wants you to get a bit more experience under your belt before she pulls you in."

Draco admitted the logic behind that but he still missed working with the red head.

They Portkeyed back to the headquarters. It was late and most everyone was gone. Ewan and Eve were in the break room, talking comfortably. Draco had noticed what was growing between the two of them. He kept meaning to warn Ewan about Eve's...condition.

"Hey, Draco," Ewan said. "Ginny's up in her office. I know she was hoping to have a word with you."

Draco blinked in surprise then smiled. "Thanks. See you guys tomorrow."

He waved to them and trotted to the stairs and up them to the seventh floor, Ginny's floor. Her office was at the end of the hall and the light was on. He walked down and rapped on the glass door. Ginny looked up from the papers she was working on. She gave him a surprised look. "Hey, Draco. I didn't expect to see you."

"Ewan suggested that you were waiting to talk to me."

She laughed. "Trust Ewan to try and stir up trouble. But I was going to sit down with you later this week. I'm sure you have some questions, now that you're level forty."

"I sure do," he said.

"Take a seat."

He did so and she watched him. "Go ahead," she said.

"Why don't you want to work with me anymore?"

She blinked over that. "I never said that."

"You've had me running all over with every other person in this company. I haven't worked with you in weeks."

"That's not because I didn't want to work with you,"

"Then why?"

She sighed. "I'm level forty seven. To get any points whatsoever, I have to do some pretty impressive things. I have to do some really dangerous things as it is let alone to gain any points. If I'm not getting any points, you aren't. I didn't think it fair for you to have to stay at level twenty all your career. So I called in some favors. At least for the first few missions. Once you proved yourself, some of the others were begging you to come with them, help them get better points. You're a hot commodity."

Draco opened his mouth then shut it again. Ginny was right. He'd been working more and more dangerous and complex situations (the one from earlier notwithstanding). His level had been skyrocketing.

"Okay. I get it," he said.

She hesitated as if not sure whether she should say what she was about to say.

"Look, the truth of it is that I wanted you to make level forty. I want you to graduate from your mentorship."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because if you're a master, not an apprentice, then you can have a partner. And the truth of it is, I want a partner."

That took a second to sink in.

"You want me to be your partner?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because there's a storm coming and I know I'm going to get saddled with it. Either before or after it breaks. And I need someone who can have my back."

He hesitated. "What sort of storm?" he asked.

"The kind that brings someone worse than Voldemort."

"Tell me."

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

"Okay. To understand it, you need to go back. You'll need to understand why we did nothing to stop Voldemort..."

(A/N: Dun dun DUNNNN! You'll probably kill me. But here we go! The plot really starts next chapter and you'll get to know all the stuff with Voldemort _and_ the whole situation with Ginny and Hermione.


End file.
